Malawi snubs UN on israel
Malawi Government on Friday voted against the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council decision to adopt a resolution demanding accountability from Israel for alleged war crimes in the conflict in Gaza.
But the position has drawn the wrath of human rights watchdogs who have condemned the country.
A report of the vote posted on the Office of the UN High Commissioner’s website shows that Malawi, Paraguay and the United States voted against the resolution while eight countries, namely Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania and Romania were absent.
The report showed that 36 countries, including South Africa and Ghana, supported the resolution.
The five resolutions adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on April 5 2024 also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza where Israel has been fighting with Hamas.
They demanded that Israel must immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment.
The council said the vote was a yardstick towards circumventing further rights violations in the conflict that has now killed at least 33 000 people.
But in an interview yesterday, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa described Malawi’s decision to vote against the resolution as deplorable.
“This is an important resolution that is meant to hold Israel accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. As a country that respects human rights, Malawi should have supported this resolution,” he said.
On his part, Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Gift Trapence shared Kaiyatsa’s position, saying Malawi’s position is retrogressive.
“HRDC is disappointed with the position of the Malawi Government. Malawi as a member of the Human Rights Council, needs to be on the good side of history in the promotion and protection of human rights by making sure issues of accountability and justice are not selective,” he said.
The five resolutions include the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.
They focused on children’s rights, inclusive social protection, Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination, human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Reads in part the resolution: “… requests the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory to prepare a report on the identities of settlers, as well as settler groups and their members, that have engaged in or continue to engage in acts of terror, violence or intimidation against Palestinian civilians and the actions taken by Israel and by third States.”
On the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the council voted 42 in favour, two against and three abstentions. On human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan, it adopted a vote of 29 in favour, 14 against and four abstentions.
On the question of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, the council adopted a vote of 36 in favour, three against and eight abstentions.
Four months ago, Malawi Government also came under fire from some civil rights groups in the country for abstaining from a vote at the UN calling on Israel and Hamas to stop fighting in Gaza.
The vote on the protection of civilians, especially women and children, and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations in Gaza took place on December 12 2023.
Malawi was the only southern African country to have abstained. Other African countries that took the same decision are Cape Verde, Togo, Cameroon and South Sudan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued that the decision was in the best interest of Malawi, saying there was nothing wrong with Malawi’s decision to stay away from the vote.
